Electricity is a precious commodity and we encourage everyone to use it wisely. One way of doing that is through various energy conservation and efficiency initiatives. For every kilowatt saved, that's a kilowatt we don't have to find through new generation.
Yukon Energy is working with Yukon Electrical Company Limited and the Yukon government to develop a formal electricity conservation plan for the territory. It is expected to include things such as incentives for various products, along with a strong education component. We expect to file the plan with the Yukon Utilities Board in 2013.
In January 2011, the utilities and the Yukon government gathered together a focus group to get some ideas on what a Yukon plan should entail. The final report can be found at the bottom of this page. Because it is a large document, it has been broken into various sections. You will also find at the bottom of this page a short summary of the report.
The two utilties and the Yukon government have also had a study done that looks into the most effective ways of saving electricity in Yukon. We hired the consulting firm ICF Marbek to do the research and prepare a report. ICF Marbek was asked to collection information about how people use electricity in the territory and where the greatest gains might be in terms of reducing energy consumption. The report has concluded that as much as 48 percent of new power consumption can be met by energy conservation and efficiency programs. The full report can be found at the bottom of this page, along with a six-page summary of the report.
In the summer of 2011 Yukon Energy partnered with Yukon Electrical and the non-profit group One Change on an energy conservation community tour. We visited ten Yukon communities to find out what you'd like to see in a territory-wide energy conservation plan, plus we handed out energy efficient products and information on how to reduce your power bills.
Also in the spring and summer of 2011, we invited Yukoners to take part in a survey about how people use electricity in the home. The information will help us in our work to design a territory-wide electricity conservation program. The survey results have been compiled and can be viewed here.
Here is a list of other things Yukon Energy is doing to help Yukoners reduce electricity usage:
1. View our energy consumption chart. It is a tool to show you how much, if any, diesel we are having to burn at any given time to meet the demand for electricity. If you see us having to burn diesel, you might consider voluntarily reduce your discretionary energy consumption as a way of saving yourself some money and reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being produced.
2. Visit our virtual energy saving home. It offers all kinds of suggestions for saving you money on your power bill.
3. Figure out how much electricity each electrical device uses that you have in your home with the help of our energy calculator.
3. Take advantage of the new fridge and freezer retirement program.
4. Get lots of other energy saving tips for your home or office.
5. Read about a pilot project that was done with Alexco Resource Corp. regarding its mine, mill and camp operation in the Keno area.
6. Learn about our LED streetlight pilot project that has been completed in Dawson City. In partnership with the Yukon government's Energy Solutions Centre, Yukon Energy installed six LED streetlights in Dawson. Over the winter and spring of 2011 we monitored the lights for cold weather performance and energy use. We compiled the results and we are now doing a follow-up pilot project in Mendenhall to select which brand/type of LED streetlight would be the best for our northern climate. The report of our Dawson LED findings can be found at the bottom of this page along with newsletters related to both the Dawson and Mendenhall pilots.
7. Find out about an internal energy audit we had done, to help us reduce our own energy consumption. We hired an independent firm to conduct an audit of our Whitehorse office, Whitehorse diesel and hydro plants, Dawson office, and Dawson diesel plant. The auditors measured things such as heat loss from the buildings, lighting levels, heating system performance and system operation.
As a result of the audit, we are upgrading our lighting in our two Whitehorse hydro plants and in the diesel plant and office at Dawson. We're also investigating heat recovery in our main administration building.
We'll also be using a data management system developed by the Yukon government and City of Whitehorse. The system will give us easy snapshot reports of how much energy each of our buildings is using and how that compares with national benchmarks.
8. Join us each month for a speaker series called “Conversations in Conservation”. We feature various speakers who cover a wide variety of energy conservation-related topics. The meetings are held the last Thursday of every month over the lunch hour (12 noon to 1 p.m.) at the Westmark Hotel in downtown Whitehorse. They are free of charge and everyone is welcome. Cookies and beverages are served.
9. Looking for ideas to get you started on the road to energy conservation? Check out our energy ambassadors to get some tips.
Other Links:
For your convenience, here are links to other Yukon government departments, corporations, and businesses that focus on energy conservation:
For information about rebates for Energy Star appliances, visit the Yukon government's Energy Solutions Centre.
The Yukon Housing Corporation has details of how to have an energy audit done in your home and information about home repair programs.
The Yukon Electrical Company Limited has two brochures that may help you manage your electricity usage.
Check this web page regularly as we announce other energy conservation initiatives over the coming weeks and months.
